The NL West division leading San Francisco Giants will visit the streaking San Diego Padres Monday night at PETCO Park. The game is scheduled to start at 10:05 PM ET. The division rivals are separated by two games, with San Diego in a three-way tie for second place in the division.
The Giants are -130 MLB odds favorites over the +110 Padres and the over/under is 7.
Matt Cain will start for the Giants. The right hander was excellent in the first half of the 2009 season, going 12-2 with a 2.27 ERA in his first 20 starts. His production declined substantially in his final 13 starts, in which he was 2-6 with a 3.84 ERA. He has started the 2010 season much the same way he ended 2009, with an 0-0 record and 4.26 ERA in two starts. He did show some signs of improvement in his last start, in which he retired eleven batters in a row before retiring in the sixth inning.
Clayton Richard will take the mound for the Padres. The left hander is 0-2 with a 4.38 ERA in his first two starts of the season. He will be hoping for increased production from his offense in this game, as they scored one run in his debut and no runs in his most recent start.
One Giant the Padres will need to pay particular attention to is centerfielder Scott Hairston. He has had success against San Francisco throughout his career, batting .271 against them with 11 home runs. First basemen Adrian Gonzales has been successful against Cain, with a .344 average and 2 home runs.
The San Francisco Giants have climbed their way to the top of the NL West division behind a formidable offense. That offense was lacking in Sunday afternoon’s loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They only managed one run, wasting a strong effort from starting pitcher Barry Zito. Juan Uribe (2B), Pablo Sandoval (3B), Edgar Renteria (SS), and Aaron Rowand (CF) are all Giants with at least a .300 average with at least 40 at bats on the year.
The series will do a great deal to define each team’s role within the division. The San Diego Padres will use it as an opportunity to continue their winning streak and thus prove themselves a reasonable foe to the Giants for the NL West crown. The Giants will look to sweep the Padres and prove themselves early on that they are the ones to beat in the NL West.
